Recording and supervisory attachment



Jam 20, 1925.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 28, 1919,

B. RICHARDS RECORDING AND SUPERVISOR! ATTACHMENT Filed 001;. 28, 1919 2Sheets-Sheet 2 I Patented Jan. 20, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN RICHARDS, OF KENILWORTH, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN-MENTS, TODETEXWATCHCLOCK CORPORATION,'OF NEW YORK, N. Y.; A CORPORA-TION OF DELAWARE.

RECORDING AND SUPERVISORY ATTACHMENT.

application filed October as, 1919. Serial No. 334,011.

To all whom. it may concern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN RICH- ARDS, acitizen of the United States, residing at Kenilworth, in the county ofCook and Stateof Illinois, haveinvented certain new and usefulImprovements in Recording and Supervisory Attachments, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in recording attachments. Moreparticularly, it ishere described as anattachment that may be applied tovalvesused in sprinkler systems arranged for fire protection for showingwhether each valve is open or closed; but it may be used in othersituations.

A. sprinkler system; ought to be so perfectly automatic that it will actwithout fail on the occurrence of the conditions under which it isexpected to act. Yet fire losses are constantly happening because of thevalve controlling thewater supply of a supposedly automatic sprinklersystem being closed at the time of fire. Such closures mayhappenproperly in various ways, and also improperly, or happeningproperly may be allowed improperly to continue by neglect. The presentinvention provides for a record to show whether or not .a .valve is inservice condition. It is a supervisory system showing automatically bythe record the identity of the valve, to which the record refers, thefact that it is open or closed, whichever may be its normal condition,and showing the. time at which the. record was made. ,This object isaccomplished by arranging in connectionwith the valve apparatus whoseaction is dependent upon the relative position of the valve members, i.e., whether they are in the position which they occupywhen theal ve isopen, or in that occupied when it is closed; and by provid ing otherapparatus for making a record which indicates valve identity and time;the operation of the latter apparatus by the watchman or other would berecord maker being controlled automatically by the former apparatus. Toaccomplish this simply and surely, the invention provides a containerwith cover and lock for some part of the recording apparatus which mustbe reached and manipulated by the watchman inorderto make the record.The lock is controlled by the first mentioned apparatus,

associated with the valve, and is automatically locked or unlocked bythe shifting of the valve from normal to abnormal position, or thereverse. The cover is arranged to close automatically. lVhen everythingis normal,the record can be made showing normal condition, at any time,as by the watchman opening the cover and doing whatever is necessarywith the part within, as, for example, taking the distinctive key whichis hung on a chain within the container, according to one system withwhich the invention may be used, and applying it to his portable clockaccording to any of several systems already well known for watchmensclocks. But if at any time betore his visit the valve has been set inabnormal position, and so continues, he finds the loor of the containerautomatically locked, and cannot make a record. The absence ot recordrelating to a particular valve, at the time and on the card provided forit, shows either that the watchman has not visited the valve, or thatthe valve is in abnormal condition. Either situation constitutes awarning.

\Vhile the general purpose may be accomplished in various ways, thepresent application has especial reference to specific means first shownin my co-pending application Serial No. 166,788, wherein means on thevalve stem, and moving when it moves, controls by a lock'theaccessibility of the part of the recording apparatus which has to be.used in order to make a record; and it is intended that the patentshallcover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whateverfeatures of patentable novelty exist in the features disclosed in thisrespect. s

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of apparatus embodying the invention, insection on the line 1-1 of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same, partly in section;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary end elevation showing application to a magnetoor elec trical system;

Figure 4- is a side elevation of a modifica tion, partly in section onthe line .h-t of Figure 5 Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 ofFigure ft; and

Figure 6 is a section on the line 66 of Figure 5.

Referring to the drawings, the yoke of the valve is marked 1, and thevalve stem guided thereby is marked 2. On that stem is a cylindricalenlargement or boss 3, having a sloping abutment .10 which is theactuating means of the control apparatus which will first be described.A box 4, preferably metalhe, provided to hold this, is adapted to bemade fast to the yoke l by a strap or bridge 5 on the remote side of theyoke, to which the box {is connected by bolts 6 having screw nuts 7within the box. The heads of the bolts may be counter-sunk flush withthe surface of the strap 5, so as to afford no hold to a tool forunscrewing them. The box 1 has a cover 8, fastened by screws and aperforated tongue 10 which passes through a hole in the cover like astaple, so that the cover may at this place be fastened in its closedposition with any suit-able device, such as a padlock, or, asillustrated, with a me tallic seal. This provides so that the box 4: andits contents can be set in any desired predetermined position on theyoke 1, without it being possible for anyone to remove it, or change itsposition, without first opening-the sealed box. For the same reason themechanism within it is inaccessible to anyone who might wish to tamperwith it, except as the part of the recording apparatus contained incompartment 2'7 may be reached through a door 29, which forms part ofthe cover, in the course of ordinary operation of the device. lVithinthe box 4, a lever is provided, supported on a pivot 13 convenientlyheld in two internal bosses 14, or otherwise suitably held, and havingan arm 12 which extends through a hole in the wall into the spacebetween the two mem-' bers of the yoke 1 at such an angle and positionthat it can bear against the valve stem 2 and with suflicient play sothat it can ride on its surface or upon the surface of the boss3 on thestem, the edge of the boss having the cam surface 40, if desired, forshifting the lever. The other arm of this lever is marked 15, extendsinto compartn1ent 27, adjacent to the cover 8, where it has a latch orhook 16 adapted to engage a post 29 011 the door 29 of this compartmentwhich door may be conveniently hinged at 9. A projection 18 extends fromsome con- :venient part of the lever and is engaged by a spring 19,which presses upon it so as to force the outer arm of the lever 12toward the axis of the valve stem 2, so that what ever be the positionof the valve stem, with the valve open or closed or in any intermediateposition, the lever 12 is pressed against the stem. Obviously,therefore, when the boss 3 is opposite the lever arm, the lever will beheld with the spring 19 in a state of compression and with the latch 16at its. limit of travel into the compartment 27,. which is its openposition. The parts are: so designed and set that when the valve is openthe lever is engaged on the boss of the stem, and so that when the leveris thus at its limit of travel its latch 16 does not engage the door;but when the lever is not engaged on the boss of the stem the latch doesengage the door and hold it firmly locked. Within the compartment 27 isa watchmans key 30 of any ordinary or suitable type, by which a watchmancan make a record on his portable watchmans clock. He cannot open thedoor 29 to use this key unless the position of the valve stem 2, whichcorresponds to the position of'the valve which is being supervised, hasset the latch 16 open, and So an absence of record by him indicates thatthe valve is closed, or at least that it is not open to the prescribeddegree, or that he has i recording appliance, (not shown) accord ing toany ordlnary system now in use, or

some other suitable system. In that case, there is no key 30 but anarbor 31 is arranged within the box with a magneto indicated as beingwithin the compartment which can be operated at will whenever the door29 can be opened so as to insert the tool or key therefor. For thesepurposes, the arbor takes the place of the key therefor, being thedevice which needs to be turned in order to make the record. Obviously,any other sort of electrical recording or signalling device might besubstituted having the part that requires manipulation located underprotection of the automatic lock.

The deviceby which the position of the valve stem controls the recordingmay take various forms. 7 In Figure 4, for example, it is illustrated asa reduction in diameter of the valve stem or notch cut therein; as at 3,with sloping cam shoulder 40 constituting the abutment. In that case,the connected lever, spring and latching parts are re arranged asrequisite. In either event, whether the lever controlling device be aboss, as in Figures 1 and 2, or a depression, as in Figure 4, it may bearranged at such a position on the valve stem,.and the lever will be soarranged with respect thereto,

deemed a sufiicient opening, and may operate to lock the apparatus ononeortwotui ns of the valve wheel. If a boss be used, as in Figures] and 2,this may preferably take the form oi 'a collar fastened on the stem bysuitable means, such as by soldering. i

The device thus combines in itself automatically a record of thewatchmans faithful attention to duty in visiting the assigned parts ofthe premises under his care, anda record that the valve at each suchplace is open, together with the time of s'uclrvisit and condition. Hecannot make his record unless he visits the place, n t can be make iteven then,'unless the valve is open; and any standard watchmans"apparatus of tested reliability can be used to record the time andstation.

Figures 4;, 5, and 6 represent a modification in which the key 3t)automatically returns to its place in the compartment 27. To this end,the box 4 may be suitablysecured on 'the yoke 1 ot the valve and have acompartment ai'ra nged'to enclose the depending key behind its tloor29.In this case, the arm of the lever which engages the valve stem ismarked 12 and the arm which latches the door '29" is marke dlo". Theflexible tie 33 which holds the key 30 is of such length that thedepending key does not reach below the bottom of the receptacle; and theside walls 27 of the receptacle are flaring, as seen in Figure 6, andshould be sufficiently flaring so that however the key is dropped itwill swing down and into the re ceptacle, and be caught therein by thedepth and narrowness of the rear part of the receptacle, in order toavoid being caught by the descending door. In this case, the fasteningof the key and the look of the door are represented separated from thatpart of the compartment where the key hangs by a partition held in placeby a sealed screw 35.

I claim as my invention:

l. The combination of a valve having an actuating part with a recorderadapted to be actuated independently of the valve, and locking meanscontrolled by the valve actuating part for preventing actuation of therecorder- 2. The combination of a valve having an actuating part with avrecorder adapted to be manually actuated independently of the valve, anelementwhich normally must be moved as a preliminaryto actuation of therecorder, and locking means actuated by the valve actuating part andlocking the said element when the valve is actuated to move it fromnormal position.

3. The combination of a valve having an actuating part with a recorderadapted to be actuated independently of the valve, a con tainer for anactuating part of the recorder, and locking means between said valveactuating part and the container whereby the container is locked andactuation of the recorder'prevented when said valve actuating part 'ismoved from its position which corresponds tonormal positionot the valve.

4. The combination o'ta valve having an actuating part with a recorderadapted to be actuatedindependentlyof the valve a box having a door andloektherefor enclosing an actuating part of the recorder and meanswhereby the valve' actuating part by its movement to actuate the valueoperates said lock. i

' 5. A supervisory mechanism comprising in combination, a valve,amanually operable instrument adapted to be operated by a watchman inmaking his rounds. a container for said instrument,- a closure for saidcontaine'r, means for operating said valve, and means controlled by saidfirst named means forcontrollingsaid closure.

6. Incombination, 'a valve, a circuit 'con trolling deviceadapted to beoperated bya watchman in making his rounds, and means for preventing thewatchman from exercising'control of the'circuit' controlled by saiddevice'when the valve is'in abn'or'n'ial condition. "(.The combinationof a valve, a recording device having an actuating part, a closure forsaid actuating partfand means for securing said closure except when thevalve is in a predetermined position, said means being operated by themovement of the valve.

8. A supervisory mechanism for a sprinkler and other systems comprisinga supply, a valve in said supply, a container for an electrical devicefor actuating a signal, in combination with means set by the. actuationof said valve for controlling the access to said device.

9. A supervisory mechanism comprising a supply, a valve adapted to shutoff said supply, electrical means for actuating a sig nal, incombination with mechanism set by the actuation of said valve, and meansoperated by said mechanism to render said electrical means inaccessibletor actuating a signal.

10. The combination with a normally open valve, of a magneto normallyaccessible for making a record, means for rendering said magnetoinaccessible, and means adapted to actuate the aforesaid means when thevalve is moved toward its closed position.

11. In combination, a valve, a manually operable electrical device, andmeans controlled by said valve for preventing operation of said deviceunless said valve is in a predetermined position.

12. The combination with a normally open valve, of an electrical devicenormally accessiblefor making a record, means for rendering saidelectrical device inaccessible,

lSU

means adapted to actuate the aforesaid means when the valve is movedtoward its closed position, and means adapted to return the same to itsinitial position when the valve is brought back to normal.

13. In combination, a valve, recording means comprising a stationaryinstrument and a tool for engaging the same to produce a record, andmeans comprising an obstruction for the stationary instrument' forpreventing manual engagement of said tool with said instrument when thevalve is in abnormal condition.

14. In combination, a valve, recording means comprising an instrumentand tool at least one of which is stationary, said tool being normallyadapted to engage said de-- vice to produce a record, an obstruction tosuch engagement movable from a position in which it permits suchengagement, and means controlled by said valve for controlling saidobstruction.

15. In combination, a valve, a manually operable circuit-controllingdevice, and means controlled by said valve for removing the control ofthe circuit from the operator when said valve is in a predeterminedposition.

16. A supervisory mechanism as set forth in claim 1 in which therecorder comprises a manually operable magneto.

17 A supervisory mechanism as set forth in claim 2 in which the recordercomprises a manually operable magneto.

18. In combination, a valve, a recordercontrolling electric circuit, amanually operable device adapted to be operated by a watchman in makinghis rounds for periodically controlling said circuit, and meanscontrolled by said valve for afiecting record-producing use of saiddevice.

19. In combination, a valve, a recording instrument, electrical meanscontrollable by a Watchman in making his rounds for causing saidinstrument to produce a record, and means controlled by said valve foraffecting the record so produced.

20. The combination of a valve; a device for making a record,and-interlocking mechanism engaged by a moving part connected with thevalve and affecting the operation of the recording device; saidinterlocking mechanism being operated by movement of said moving part.

Signed at Boston, Massachusetts, this twenty-seventh day of October,1919.

BENJAMIN RICHARDS,

